Dragon's Scales
by KisandraWesker
Summary: Alexis Mizuiro heads off to SOLDIER in hopes of making it in. Meanwhile, Sephiroth holds a secret... SephXOC Added Vampire Knight concept *you'll see it later on*
1. Prologue

**Dragon Scales**

Alexis Mizuiro is heading to SOLDIER, hopeful to make it in. On the other hand, a mysterious creature is roaming the halls of ShinRa...

Prologue: A mysterious creature

The sun set over the horizon as a big silver bus carrying at least forty new recruits sped towards its destination, one of them being the blonde haired nineteen year old, Alexis Mizuiro. Previously graduated from the ShinRa Military Academy as one of the strongest, she had left her home of Kalm to pursue and hope that she can land in SOLDIER.

But, there was another thought that sprang into her mind; while she was at the academy, she happened to meet the mysterious, yet famous General Sephiroth. With him were Commanders Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos and she looked forward to seeing them again.

Unlike most girls who would hide their identity in fear of being discovered and dismissed from the ranks, she planned to go as she is, unafraid and unashamed. At her side was her sword she had gained from the academy, the Kiba no Ryuu (Fang of Dragon).

From its emerald wrapped handle down to the silver scabbard that held it, Alexis trusted it with her life. There was a saying that fate decides the swords' masters. She thought that saying was correct for she believed that fate brought together her and the sword she possessed. She smiled as she brushed her fingers over the scabbard in an almost respecting yet admiring way.

"We're here, newbies! File out quickly!" called the driver as the bus came to a stop at the huge base.

Grabbing her sword and tying to her waist, she grabbed her bag from the metal shelf above her and rested the strap on her shoulder before following the rest outside. As she gazed to the skies, she saw a black winged silhouette zip through the sky, heading towards, what looked like, a forest surrounded by a tall wire fence. She gasped at the sight as the figure vanished into the canopy of the trees.

"Did you see that?" she whispered to one of the recruits.

"See what?" the recruit, who was a brunette male, replied back.

Alexis gazed over to the forest for a moment, unbelieving of what she saw. "Never mind," she said.

Then, the doors opened and out came... Genesis and Angeal. Alexis had to restrain herself from squealing with happiness. First day here and here they are already! Genesis's crimson eyes traveled over to the blonde haired girl and a smile appeared on his lips. He mouthed to her "Good to see you again." Alexis nodded minutely, barely containing her excitement as she smiled at the red head commander.

Angeal saw this and his eyes locked onto her as well. He also mouthed to her "Stay behind." She nodded again before finally forcing herself to calm down.

"Welcome, newbies. My name is Commander Genesis Rhapsodos and this man here" he pointed to the black haired man "is Commander Angeal Hewley. Welcome to SOLDIER. Many of you have come in hopes of making it here. Most of you will succeed, others..." he paused for a few seconds, a trace of a smirk on his face. "... will **fail**," he said, putting emphasis on the last word.

Many of the guys gulped, but Alexis only smirked. If he thinks he's got her scared, then he was sadly mistaken. She trained herself good and hard for this. Suddenly, a motorbike roared towards the base.

Riding it was a black spiky haired male, a grin on his face. Behind him with his arms around the older male's waist was another spiky haired male, but this one had blonde hair. The bike screeched and slid to a stop, five feet from the commanders. The two males got off and headed to the group.

"Yo, Genesis, Angeal!" then, his eyes caught sight of the new recruits. "Aww! You could've told me that new ones were coming! Why didn't you call me!" whined the black haired male.

Alexis raised an eyebrow at his antics.

'What a whiner. He's, what, in his twenties and he's acting like a kid? Geez...' she thought with disdain.

"We tried to, Zack, but you didn't answer. We called you, at least, five times. Your phone was off again, wasn't it?" Angeal replied matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and giving him a look.

Zack stopped and let out a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"Anyway, we're done with our errands. Can we go inside now? These bugs are eating me alive," he said, smacking off a bug that decided to land.

"You may go. Next time, keep your phone on," Genesis said.

"Gotcha. Later!" Zack said before he and his blonde friend headed inside.

The two commanders turned back to the group, who were waiting for them.

"Alright, you guys. Grab your stuff and get inside. Zack should have your room assignments," said Genesis.

The recruits grabbed their belongings and headed inside. Purposely being the last one, she grabbed her stuff. Waiting until the other guys were gone, Alexis grinned as she ran up to them and both men embraced her.

"Good of you to make it, Lex," Genesis said, patting her on the back.

"Thanks. By the way, you didn't scare me with that speech," Alexis said with a look.

"Oh, shucks. I didn't?" Genesis mocked with a laugh.

The other two laughed as well as they got inside. The main hall was the size of a ballroom, maybe bigger. Alexis looked around in sheer awe. Suddenly, a silver and black came at her from above. Quickly dropping her bag, she unsheathed her sword, blocking the attempted assault. The figure backflipped away, revealing it to be the General himself, his Masamune unsheathed. Alexis stood ready, her stance mirroring Sephiroth's. A smirk played on both each other's lips.

Suddenly, they both charged and a dance of blades ensued.

"Sephiroth, knock it off!" the commanders heard Zack scream from the third floor railing.

"Can it, Zack! This is good!" Genesis yelled back.

"He's going to kill—"

"**SHUT UP, ZACKARY**!" the two combatants suddenly screamed at the black haired male without stopping their fight, surprising the three males.

Sephiroth went for a leg sweep, but Alexis did a back flip, landing on a table close by. She waggled her finger at him, making a 'tsk, tsk, tsk' noise. Sephiroth scoffed and leapt for her. She sidestepped and slammed a kick into his back, sending him up and over the table.

"Wow... she's gotten better," Angeal said in awe.

"No kidding. She's handling Sephiroth really well. Wish she were my sister," Genesis agreed.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Commander," Alexis said to him before refocusing on the fight.

Sephiroth somersaulted over the table and zipped for the female. She blocked all of his blows except for a couple that cut her cheek and forearm. Zack winced at the hits that connected. She jumped away to recover for a moment, wiping the blood from her cheek.

"You've gotten better since the academy, Miss Miziro," he complimented.

"You're still the same as I remember, General, but I think you changed as well... a little," she replied.

"SEPH, STOP RIGHT NOW!" Zack screamed.

"... Killjoy," she added under her breath.

"We might as well end it. By your matured fighting skills, I say... you would do fine in SOLDIER," Sephiroth said, sheathing his huge sword.

Alexis sighed and sheathed hers as well. However, she smiled at the General's compliment. Yes, she would do fine, but something else was on her mind: what was that creature she saw earlier?


	2. A dream? Or something else?

**Ch 1**

With Alexis reunited with her old friends, we get to the room assignments and maybe... find some clues on what was that creature was...

A dream? Or something else?

Alexis walked over to the group of recruits that have gathered near Zack's room, the owner of the room standing amongst them.

"Alright, chill, you guys! I'll post this on the bulletin, so every one of you can see it. One of time! **HEY, I SAID ONE— AAAHH**!" suddenly, the black haired boy got trampled as the hopefuls crowd around the wooden board.

She giggled a little at the scene before her before walking to him and offering her hand.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Ow... yea. Note to self: never place stuff too close to your room," he said, taking her hand and pulling himself up, dusting himself off.

"Yea. Not the brightest idea. I'm Alexis Mizuiro, by the way," she introduced herself with a bow.

"Nice ta meet ya. You know... you handled yourself pretty well against the General. Usually, normal people who face him don't even last a minute," Zack said.

"Hey, blondie! Come look who you're rooming with!" called one of the recruits with sounded like a suppressed laugh.

Curious, she ventured over and looking over the list, her eyes suddenly went wide as dinner plates and her jaw dropped. There was no way... she was with **HIM! **Noticing her utter shock, Zack came over. Seeing her name under a certain someone's, he broke out in laughing hysterics.

"Good luck with him! You won't last a week!" he laughed, leaning against the wall for support.

Who was her roommate? Well... it was... _**General Sephiroth**_.

Was she doomed? The answer: surprisingly... no.

Upon reaching the top floor, Zack and Alexis made their way to Sephiroth's room. A question ran in her mind: why would he want her as his roommate? I thought he didn't need roommates anymore. At least, that's what he told her years ago when she was in the academy. As they got close to his room, butterflies began to writhe in her stomach, followed by a mild headache. She pressed a hand to her forehead, slightly groaning in pain.

"You ok, kid?" Zack asked.

"Yea... just... let's keep going. Sephiroth won't wait forever," she replied.

Then, as quickly as it came, the headache vanished. Finally, they reached the General's room. Zack held out a hand for a moment, signaling to wait, before he rapped thrice on his door. They heard a muffled permission to enter before Zack opened the door, allowing the female recruit to go in first. Looking up, there sat the General behind his desk, fingers interlaced and elbows propped on the desktop.

"'Sup?" Zack asked the silver haired man.

Sephiroth nodded in reply, and then shifted his gaze at Alexis. Suddenly, the headache came back, but full force, causing her to drop her bag and clutch her head. Teeth gritted in pain, she bit back a scream of pain as she dropped to her knees. Confusion dizzied her mind. Why was this happening? Her vision was swimming in and out of focus, but she could hear Zack's voice and feel Sephiroth's arms go around her.

"Hey, Alexis! Snap out of it!" she heard Zack say.

But, his voice sounded so far away, as if he were talking from a great distance.

_Alexis..._

Her eyes snap open. Did she just Sephiroth's voice in her mind? Or was she just hearing things? She heard him again...

_Alexis... calm down. _

_Sephiroth? What's going on? Why do I hurt so much? _

Before she could hear anymore, blackness overcame her vision and she heard no more.

(Dream)

_She awoke to find herself in a valley of snow capped mountains. As she pulled herself to her feet, bits of snow fell from her body. _

"_Where... am I?" she thought. _

_As she began her walk, she suddenly heard a roar from above. She whipped her gaze to the skies to see... a navy blue and black dragon is flying towards the distance, its magnificent wings flapping in a slow, but powerful rhythm. Alexis stared in sheer awe at the mighty creature and proceeded to follow it. _

_Alas, she came to a deeper valley and to her amazement, at least ten dragons were gathered there, some apparently in a mock fight. The navy dragon sat on the side, watching the action, amusement dancing its bright green eyes. _

"_Hmm... that dragon looks... familiar... in a sense," she whispered to herself as she watched from behind a huge rock formation. _

_Then, the dragon roared, stopping the action. _

"_He must the leader," she thought. _

_The leader dragon stood up and roaring something once more, she then realized... somehow, it had sensed her presence! It came up to the formation of rocks and poking its head around the corner, there stood the female, completely in shock. Looking closer, she saw that its eyes seemed to smile at her. Alexis timidly stepped closer, unable to look away from its piercing orbs. But... something seemed familiar about them, yet couldn't place her finger on it. _

"_... Who are you?" she asked it. _

_The dragon brought its head closer, its warmth breath tickling her ear. She closed her eyes as her hand drifted towards its snout, stroking its scales. She didn't know why, but being around this dragon, she felt... safe. _

_Then, she heard a distant voice. As she listened, it sounded like... _

"_Alexis... can you hear me?" _

"_Sephiroth, where are you?" she called out. _

_Suddenly, there came a bright light and all went black. _

(End dream)

Alexis awoke, her vision blurry at first. Blinking a few times, she cleared it enough to see Sephiroth sitting next to her. She felt something damp on her forehead, no doubt a wet cloth.

"Are you ok?" he asked, his eyes soft with concern.

"... I think so. How long was I out?," she replied, removing the cloth as she slowly sat up.

"For all afternoon and part of the evening. It's about..." he stole a glance at the clock hanging over his doorway. "9:30 p.m. I had Miss Rosalie bring up lunch for you. It's soup and a sandwich. I chose grilled cheese because well... I didn't—"

"It's ok. Thank you, General," she replied with a giggle.

Sephiroth retrieved the plastic brown tray with the soup and sandwich from his desk and brought it over. Placing it in her lap, he went back to his desk and went back to his paperwork. As she ate, she couldn't stop thinking about that dream... or how she could hear Sephiroth clearly in her mind. Midway through her soup, she stopped, unable to eat anymore. Sephiroth realized this and turned from his work.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Alexis was silent for a moment, her eyes shadowed with wondering and confusion. Was the dream... more than a dream? And why did she feel so... comforted by the dragons that she saw? Nothing made sense, yet... that one dragon...

"Alexis, are you alright?" he asked, a trace of worry in his voice.

She snapped out of her trance and she could only nod to him in reply before turning back to the rest of her food. After lunch, Sephiroth showed her to the guest bedroom that was just outside his door. Only one bed was present. A connected bathroom was there as well, along with a dirty clothes hamper next to the bathroom door. A small window was beside her bed.

"Wake up is at 4:30 a.m. and curfew is 10:15," he said as she set her stuff down by her bed.

"I guess... this beats rooming with Zack," she said.

"Indeed. If you were to take one look... the rest you can picture," he said with a small smirk.

"Yea..." she shuddered at the thought of the spiky haired boy's room being a total pigsty.

"Well... it's almost time for bed. Why don't you go ahead and get ready. First thing in the morning... battle training. Me and Major Jackson Briggs will be training you and the other recruits. Lieutenant Sarah Umi will be teaching you how to use Materia. Get some sleep. You're up, bright and early," he said.

"G'night, General," she said, grabbing a sleeveless white tank top and light blue cut offs.

Sephiroth nodded before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. 11:00 came and Alexis was sound asleep in her bed. Meanwhile, on the roof, Sephiroth gazed to the starry sky, his MAKO eyes turning bright green.

"...I finally found you... sister..." he whispered as two draconic wings sprouted from his back.


	3. Not again

**Ch 2**

So Sephiroth was the mysterious creature, but what's awakening in the female blonde?

Not again...

Alexis woke up with a scream the next morning. That same dream she first had when she came here. Why was she having it? Three knocks came to her door, followed by it opening. Sephiroth's head peeked inside into the dark room.

"I heard a scream. What happened?" he asked, his eyes glowing in the darkness of the early morning.

"I'm ok. I just... had a crazy dream," she half-lied, brushing back her messy bed hair.

"If you say so. Get up and get dressed. Breakfast in fifteen minutes," he said before leaving, allowing Alexis to have her privacy.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she trudged into the bathroom, where she took a hot shower to wake herself up. Five minutes later, she was out, dressed in her female uniform. Tying her hair back in a ponytail, she hurried towards the mess hall, the distant smell of breakfast wafting through the air. Coming to a small case of stairs, she sat on the railing and slid all the way down, landing at the bottom on her feet.

Walking into the huge room, at least twenty tables were set up. The smell of bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, waffles and pancakes reached her nostrils as she walked over to the hot bar. She saw the huge jug of orange juice and poured herself a small glass.

"Good morning, dearie," came an elderly voice.

Alexis looked up and saw an elderly woman who looked about in her sixties with brown and grey hair.

"Hello, there. You must be Miss Rosalie. Thank you for the meal you sent up. It's very good. Oh, my name is—"

"Alexis Mizuiro. Yes, dear Sephiroth told me about you. You are ok now, right dear?" Rosalie said.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Suddenly, the two heard cheering outside. "What's going on?" Alexis asked.

"Oh, those boys! I swear every time they get near those chocobo fences, they race them like crazy!" Rosalie sighed.

"We have chocobos?" Alexis gasped in surprise.

"Yes. I don't why Miss Sarah keeps them, but she adores them. Yet, those boys race them. The poor things..." Rosalie sighed.

Taking her drink, she said a hurried thank you to the elderly woman before rushing outside. On the training field, she got a glimpse of a gold and a black chocobo race by. Their riders happen to Sephiroth on the black one and Zack on the gold chocobo, apparently practicing chocobo-back fighting.

The rest of the recruits cheered on their mock fight, as if they were doing it for real. She watched the action and found herself cheering for the General as the two riders took on their second lap. Both blades were clashing against each other as fast as their steeds.

"HEY! GET OFF THOSE CHOCOBOS, RIGHT NOW!" suddenly screamed a female voice.

Upon hearing the scream, Zack lost his focus, causing him to be knocked off by a hard elbow from the General. He hit the ground as his chocobo came to a stop, noticing the absence of its rider. A cheer went up as the black chocobo trotted back towards the group, looking triumphant from beating its golden rival.

Sephiroth sheathed his Masamune and jumped down from his ride. His gaze traveled to a severely ticked off woman who had her brown hair up in a bun and also wearing a female uniform. Her hands were at her hips, glaring at the two boys.

"I come out here and find you two riding Shadow and Sunny **AND** fighting on top of them! You could've hurt them!" she yelled.

"We didn't, Lieutenant. They're perfectly fi—"

"SHUT UP, ZACKARY ALAN FAIR!" she shrieked at him, making the two visibly wince at the loudness.

Alexis could only blink in surprise. "She's... yelling at him and the General. Whoa..." she thought.

"Lieutenant, if you would listen—"

"GENERAL!" she suddenly yelled, whipping around to him, causing him to wince again. "You're the General and yet, you would sink to Fair's level?" she scolded.

"Ouch..." muttered one of the recruits next to Alexis.

Softening her gaze, she turned to the two chocobos and took their reins, guiding them to the stable.

"Don't worry about a thing. I'm going to get you two cleaned up right now and see if there are any wounds on you," she cooed to them.

As she left, Sephiroth heard scattered snickers within the crowd, apparently finding amusement in a female lieutenant lecturing both a First Classman and the General himself. To Alexis, this must've been a rare sight to see.

"Shut up, all of you!" Sephiroth suddenly snapped and the crowd silenced immediately.

"Uh... do you think I should go talk to her?" Zack asked sheepishly.

"Are you nuts, Zack?" piped up one recruit.

"She'll chew you out more if you go! I say forget about her!" said another.

"Besides, thanks to you, you got both of us in trouble. Once again, I fell for one of your idiotic ideas," Sephiroth added, casting a glare at him.

"You agreed to do it, so don't go blaming on me!" Zack snapped.

"That's enough, you two!" Alexis suddenly yelled, surprising the arguing boys and the recruits.

She stepped forth, though a little nervous. "Look, what's done is done, so let it go and move on. Just don't do it again or you won't get yelled at," she said, crossing her arms.

"Is that an order, soldier?" Sephiroth smirked at her.

"More of a suggestion, but if you put it that way, then yea," Alexis said, mocking defiance, knowing that the General was teasing her.

The crowd gaped at the boldness emitting from the female as the two stared each other. Was she nuts? Does she want a death wish? No one ever stood up to the General and lived! However, she didn't seem concerned.

"Well then... why don't you back up your bark?" Sephiroth asked, unsheathing his sword and getting into his familiar stance.

"Challenge accepted!" she said, unsheathing Kiba no Ryuu and once again, mirroring Sephiroth's stance.

(AN: I'm doing this fight scene and the next few fight scenes FF7 game style)

**Sephiroth: 9999 HP/ 999 MP Alexis: 3000 HP/ 245 MP**

**Alexis: Enemy Skill: Big Guard (Casts Barrier, MBarrier and Haste) **

**Sephiroth: Ice3 (Damage halved to 2367 to Alexis)**

**Alexis: Cure2 (Regains 3590 HP)**

**Sephiroth: Attack**

**(Physical damage halved to 2999)**

**Alexis: LIMIT BREAK "Now I've had it!" **

**Limit Break: Burning Fang**

**(Sword bursts into flames. Fire circles around Alexis as she twirls her sword in the air. She leaps into the air, the circle of flames following her. The circle of flames becomes a fiery twister, which shapes into a head of a dragon. Swinging her sword horizontally, she unleashes the burning head, which opens its mouth and engulfs Sephiroth in a wave of fire. Damage: 6039)**

**Sephiroth (on one knee) "Huff, huff... very good. That is enough." **

**(Battle ends. Cue Victory Fanfare)**

Alexis knelt on one knee, exhausted from using her magic and her limit break. The crowd broke into cheers once again as the battle stopped. Sheathing his sword, he walked over to her, offering his hand. As she gratefully took it, a sharp pang of pain jabbed her head like a sharp knife. She suddenly let go, clutching her head and gritting her teeth in pain.

"Not again!" she grinded out, shutting her eyes, scenes of last night's dream and the night before playing before her vision.

"What now?" Zack gasped, rushing to her side.

"Zack, away from her. I'll take her inside," Sephiroth suddenly stopped him, taking the hurting girl into his arms.

Escorting her inside, Sephiroth slowly walked her to his room, seeing the girl could barely walk. The visions continued to play in her mind until it came to the silver and black dragon. Again, it looked familiar, but... how? Suddenly, the dragon before her went translucent for a moment, revealing a figure inside, curled up in a fetal position. She could barely make out the figure to be a male, but who was it?

"Alexis, are you still with me?" came Sephiroth's distant voice, snapping her out of her trance.

Just as quickly as it came, the pain subsided and she leaned against the wall in fatigue from fighting the pain. Who was that figure she saw?


	4. Mysterious dragon revealed!

**Ch 3**

What was that figure Alexis saw in her sudden premonition?

Training forest chaos! Mysterious dragon revealed!

"Ready... GO!" shouted one of the T.I.'s (training instructor) that stood near the gate to the Training Forest.

It was the Forest Test, where recruits (and some rising First Classmen) have two to three days to score as many group points as they can before the time limit's up. First, there are five cabins in the woods, each housing up to twelve SOLDIERs and the recruits have to find one to settle in before sunset.

Next, inside the forest, of course, are the monsters in which they had to slay, ranging from Mt. Nibel wolf, which was 10 points because of their commonness, to 100 points for the mysterious creature if they happen to run into it. Finally, three recruits are paired with a higher ranking officer and are given Lightning, Ice, Fire, and Restore materia.

Alexis, Cloud, the blonde haired boy who she saw with Zack on the first day here at SOLDIER, and Zack were the lucky because they were paired up with General Sephiroth. At the sound of the signal, they, along with ten other groups, rushed into the forest without hesitation. Sephiroth's group broke through first as they dashed across the forest floor.

"We'll head for the cabin near the river. It's closest to our position," Sephiroth told them.

The three nodded and followed the silver haired General. Suddenly, out pop three Mt. Nibel wolves from behind some bushes, all snarling and growling.

"Let's see what you've got," Sephiroth said to the recruits.

"Leave it to us," Alexis said confidently, unsheathing her sword, the other two following suit.

**FIGHT SCENE**

**Zack: 1000 HP/ 50 MP Cloud: 1100 HP/ 10 MP Alexis: 3000 HP/ 265 MP**

**Mt Nibel wolves: 450 HP/ 0 MP**

**Alexis: Ice-All (Each wolf takes 70 – 80 damage) **

**Cloud: Physical attack (Wolf 1 takes 60 damage | Wolf 1: 390 HP)**

**Zack: Physical attack (Wolf 3 takes 70 damage | Wolf 3: 380 HP) **

**Wolf 1 attacks Alexis (takes 39 damage | Alexis: 2691 HP)**

**Wolf 2 attacks Zack (takes 42 damage | Recruit 2: 958 HP)**

**Wolf 3 attacks Cloud (takes 36 damage | Recruit 1: 964 HP)**

**Alexis: Physical attack (Wolf 1 takes 358 damage and goes down)**

**Zack: Ice (Wolf 2 takes 124 damage | Wolf 2: 326 HP)**

**Wolf 3 critical attacks Recruit 2 (takes 150 damage | 808 HP)**

**Cloud: Lightning (Wolf 2 takes 79 damage | Wolf 2: 371 HP)**

**Alexis: Enemy Skill: Flamethrower (Wolf 2 takes 451 HP and goes down)**

**Wolf 3: Poison Fang (Recruit 1 takes 210 damage| Recruit 1: 754 HP)**

**Alexis: Bolt2 (Wolf 3 takes 1190 damage and goes down) **

**BATTLE OVER**

The group celebrated their victory, now on the board with 30 points.

"Very good teamwork, you three. However, we're far from being done. We must locate our cabin and get settled in. Let's hurry on," Sephiroth said.

The three nodded and followed their leader towards the river. Upon arriving, they heard a gurgled roar, followed by far away screams.

"A Malboro. Another group must've found it," Sephiroth said, obviously familiar with the sickening beast.

"I heard once those things stink you up, it'll take a month to get the smell off," said Zack, plugging his nose for emphasis.

Alexis shuddered at the thought. A month of Malboro stench is not what she wanted on her third day. They reached the cabins, just as the sun set, and found that Genesis's team of three and Angeal's have already arrived.

"Aww, no fair. We wanted this to ourselves!" Genesis pretended to whine.

"What? So you two can—"In a blink of an eye, the red head clapped a hand over Sephiroth's mouth, shushing him.

Alexis raised a suspicious eyebrow. What did Sephiroth know that she didn't? First, the mysterious dream, now this? Why don't people tell her anything? She only sighed in defeat before she picked the closest top bunk and got settled in. Once everyone got their beds set up, Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal quickly briefed their groups on the forest grounds and monster hotspots.

"Tonight is when the true hunt begins. More monsters will be out, meaning the points will be higher, so spread out and see what you can do. You have 5 hours to gather points for your team. Teams ready?" Sephiroth said.

"YES SIR!" came the unified reply of the SOLDIERs.

"Then... GO!" Genesis shouted, flinging open the door.

The teams rushed out into the growing night, weapons and Materia armed and ready. Genesis closed the door and both men turned to Sephiroth.

"... Is she the one you're looking for?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth nodded, his face solemn. "Yes... she's the one," he said before heading off into the night, Masamune tied to his side.

Alexis, Zack and Cloud dashed across the forest floor, eager to take on the big monsters. Slowing down a bit, they surveyed the area, making sure no one was listening before they huddled up.

"I'll take Cloud with me. Zack, can you handle this alone?" she asked.

"Aww, I don't want to be alone" Alexis gave him a look. "But... I could use the exercise," he said, changing his attitude after thinking about it for a few seconds.

"Thank you. One more thing... If you see the mysterious creature that is said to dwell in here... lead out in the open, so I can see what it is. I'm rather curious," she said.

"Gotcha. Well... let's split up and meet back here after we're done. Good luck, Cloud ol' buddy," Zack said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Zack. Let's get moving!" Cloud said and the gang went their separate ways.

In the trees, a pair of golden, slited eyes was watching them, his gaze locked onto the female blonde before they vanished into the shadows. With the two blondes, they trekked carefully in the darkness, carrying only a flashlight to guide their way. Then, they saw something move within the bushes. They stopped, hands to their weapons. Suddenly, two huge Wasps flew out, wings buzzing, which drove Alexis nuts.

"I hate these things!" she groaned, whipping out an Ice materia.

"Here! I'll get them! They have poisonous stingers!" Cloud said, stepping in front of her.

**FIGHT SCENE**

**Cloud: 1100 HP/ 10 MP**

**Wasp 1&2: 600 HP/ 0 MP**

**Cloud: Physical attack (Wasp 1 takes 190 damage | Wasp 1: 410 HP)**

**Wasp 1: Poison Sting (Cloud takes 51 damage and is poisoned) **

**Wasp 2: Physical attack (Cloud takes 53 damage | Cloud: 996 HP)**

**Cloud (takes 15 damage from poison | Cloud: 984) Ice (Wasp 1 takes 200 damage | 210 HP)**

**Wasp 1: Physical attack (Cloud dodges)**

**Wasp 2: Physical attack (Cloud dodges, but takes 20 damage from poison | Cloud: 964 HP)**

**Cloud: Ice (Wasp 1 takes 211 damage and goes down) **

**Wasp 2: Physical attack (Cloud takes 52 damage plus 15 damage | Cloud: 897 HP)**

**Cloud: LIMIT BREAK – Braver (Wasp 2 takes 482 damage | Wasp 2: 118 HP)**

**Wasp 2: Poison Sting (Cloud takes 60 damage + 15 damage from poison | 822 HP)**

**Cloud: Ice (Wasp 2 takes 201 HP and goes down)**

**FIGHT SCENE ENDS**

Cloud collapsed to one knee, the effects of poison wearing off, but the group gained 70 points and their total so far is 100.

"You ok?" she asked, rushing to his side.

Suddenly, they heard a half roar not far away. Alexis looked in that direction, hoping it was what she was looking for. Cloud saw her look and nodded.

"You go on ahead. I'll be ok," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Alexis smiled before detaching one of her Materia. "Take Fire2, just in case you get into more trouble," she said, handing the sphere to him.

Cloud took it and attached it to his bronze bangle. With that done, Alexis took off into the woods, determination in her aquamarine eyes. As she ran, she heard the roar again, but this time, a little closer.

"It must be that creature I saw! Ready or not, here I come!" she said to herself, unsheathing her sword.

Getting into the open, she scanned the area around her, sword at the ready. Suddenly, something landed feet in front of her with a loud THUD! The figure stood, the shadows of the night concealing most of its identity, but she could see golden cat-like eyes, two large, demonic, leather wings and a large tail with spikes running down the length of it. Then, Alexis's head was shot with a sudden wave of pain. She clutched it with one hand, the sword in the other. Then...

_Alexis... _

Her eyes widened. She turned towards the creature and what surprised her... it had worry in its eyes. The eyes then slowly bled back... to MAKO.

"Se... Sephiroth?" she gasped, the pain disappearing.

The creature nodded, stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight to reveal mostly covered in navy blue and black scales... General Sephiroth. Alexis dropped her sword in shock as the face of Sephiroth appeared. What happened to him to make look like this?

_Alexis... I was born as a dragon... and so was you _came the General's voice in her mind.


	5. Lost truth revealed!

**Ch 4**

Sephiroth's the creature she saw?

Lost truth revealed

"... What? I was what? But, I was born into the Mizuiro family! I don't understand," she cried, confusion in her eyes.

_No, Alexis. When you were born, you were born into the world of the dragons... my family. But, a war happened and you were taken away. Hunters wanted our hides for profit and game. We searched for you everywhere, but we never found you. We feared you were dead, so even though the others quit, I didn't stop looking. That's why I joined SOLDIER... so I could keep searching. I knew you were out there somewhere, even though they said to give up. I'm sorry, Alexis... _

She looked at him, sadness in her eyes. She was assumed dead for that long? And not knowing whether or not she was alive must've put a huge burden on his shoulders. And being born a dragon? This really set off some questions in her mind.

"Sephiroth... I... are we related in some way?"

_... You are my sister. Dragons mate within the family to keep the bloodlines pure. If a dragon mated with a human... though harsh, we would be shunned from the clan. Worse... or exiled._

She shuddered. Not only were they brother and sister, but... mating with each other, just to keep the bloodline pure? Mulling over the concept, she started to understand. Suddenly, her back began to tighten and she screamed in pain, making her clutch at her back. It felt like something was tearing at her with sharp nails. Finally, two draconic wings sprouted from her back and she collapsed onto the ground on her hands and knees.

_... Your awakening has begun. _

Alexis looked up, her eyes now piercing violet. She looked at herself and founded black and silver scales covering most of her body. Her nails were now claws and her teeth were sharp fangs. She felt her ears and they were elf-like. She looked behind her and like Sephiroth, she had a tail lined with small, but sharp barbs. Smiling softly at her long lost sister, Sephiroth went to her and helped her up.

"ALEXIS! WHERE ARE YOU?" called Zack.

Alexis gasped and tried to something, but a weird growl was the only thing that came from her lips.

_Alexis, when you're a dragon, you can't speak like a human. We can hear each other through a mind link, dragon or not. _

_But, how do I turn back? If the others see me like this, they'll think **I'M** the creature! _

_Think of your human form and let it do the rest. When you do turn back... we're going to play a little game. Feel up for it? _He smirked, revealing sharp fangs.

Transforming back, which was painful, Alexis nodded. "What is it?" she asked.

_It's called 'Damsel in distress'. _Suddenly wrapping his tail around her, she quickly caught on and started screaming.

"ALEXIS! WE'RE COMING!" shouted Cloud, who was behind a pack of recruits that were rushing towards the scene.

Sephiroth hid in the shadows, his golden eyes locked in a glare. He began snarling at them and baring his fangs as Alexis 'struggled' within his tail. Her sword laid on the ground, obviously out of reach.

"**GET ME DOWN FROM HERE! I HATE HEIGHTS!**" she cried.

_Do you really? It's not a very long drop, you know. _

_No. That was for added effect. _

_You're a good actor, by the way. You should've done theater instead. _

_**HECK NO!** I get stage fright easily. I'm kinda the tomboy here. _

_Very well. Keep going._

"Hang on, Lex!" Zack said, unsheathing his Buster Sword.

Seeing the weapon drawn, Sephiroth drew Alexis closer to himself, as if daring them to try and hurt him, but they would only hurt the female in the process. The group froze, not knowing what to do.

_How sad. They should what to do in this type of situation. They should know to try and create some certain diversion with the first group while the second tries to get the opponent from behind. _

_That is sad. I guess you'll have to lecture them when you turn back, huh? _

Zack looked around. "Yo, Major Briggs. Where's General Sephiroth?" he asked a huge, black muscular guy who was about 7 foot.

The Major shrugged. "Guess he vanished on us again. Probably got too caught up in the monster huntin'," he replied.

_And of course, they ask for my help again. They have to learn to deal with certain scenarios without my assistance._

_They do that a lot huh? _

"Don't mind me! Just hanging up here **IN A MONSTER'S GRIP, READY TO BE EATEN!**" she screamed sarcastically to them.

The group snapped back to attention. Sephiroth snarled at them before disappearing into the trees, towing a screaming Alexis.

"**ALEXIS!**" the group cried.

Several seconds later, the two dragons arrived near the river cabin and dashed inside. The General reverted to normal form, but found himself leaning against a bunk bed, panting.

"You ok?" she asked, hurrying to his side.

"I've... never been in my dragon form for that long. It drained most of my energy. I just need some rest and I'll be fine in the morning," he replied, regaining his composure.

Alexis only nodded and helped him to his bed. Stripping himself of his coat, she caught a glimpse of his perfectly toned upper body. She blushed a little and heard Sephiroth chuckle.

"Don't worry about it. Five hours are about up anyway, so they should be heading back. By the way, I kept track of the scores. So far, our group's in the lead, thanks to Zack mostly and you, of course. We're up to 140 points," he said.

"But, won't they be suspicious? I was 'kidnapped' by the mystery monster and here you are, lying here without a scratch," she pointed out.

Sephiroth only smirked as he grew out his claws on his left hand and dragged them across his bare skin, wincing as he left five gashes. He lightly scratched his face and tore his left pant leg before stopping. Alexis looked over his work and nodded with satisfaction. Pulling out the First-Aid Kit, she began 'tending' to his wounds, just as the groups came in.

"**ALEXIS!**" they cried, rushing over to her before laying eyes on the 'hurt' General laying on the bed, panting. "Is he going to be ok?" asked Zack.

"He'll be fine. Good thing that it didn't really injure him," she replied, dabbing at the gashes on his chest with gauze.

Sephiroth clenched the sheets, biting back a hiss of pain.

"Geez... it looks really bad," Genesis sympathized. Then he added, turning to the rest of the group "Report to the front gate to receive your scores thus far!"

"**YES SIR!**" cried the soldiers before rushing out, leaving only Angeal, Genesis, Alexis and Sephiroth.

Once the door slammed, Sephiroth began to tap into his instincts and the wounds healed rapidly.

"Is she the one?" Angeal asked suddenly, taking Alexis by surprise.

"Yes... this is my sister," Sephiroth replied, sitting up slowly.

"Wait! How do you know?" she asked of the two commanders.

Angeal fielded that one. "5 years ago...Sephiroth, Genesis and I were on a mission that took place at Mt. Nibel. Apparently, there were monsters terrorizing Nibelheim and all of them were coming from the mountain. We took the mission and headed up there to investigate..."

(Flashback)

"_**Man... how much further?" whined Genesis. **_

"_**Not much further, Genesis. We're almost there," Angeal reassured the red head captain, who was dragging not too far behind the two men in front. **_

_**Genesis only sighed. He said that maybe hours ago and all that was heard was 'We're almost there. We're about there.' It was driving him crazy! Suddenly, a flock of Sonic Speed birds were flying towards them. The three dove out of the way, drawing their weapons. **_

"_**We're in their territory!" Angeal stated, swiping at a few. **_

_**Unknowing to him, they were backing up to a ledge. However, it did not go unnoticed for long as Sephiroth heard Angeal scream suddenly as he hung over the ledge, hanging for dear life, his weapon clenched in his free hand. Rushing to his aid, Sephiroth's way was blocked by more. Seeing his comrade slowly losing his grip, he knew he had no choice. He knew this would happen sooner or later. Sheathing his weapon, he suddenly let out a loud scream that quickly turned into an ear-shattering roar as he transformed into his dragon form. **_

_**Taking care of his enemies, Genesis looked over to the silver haired man, but instead, a navy blue and black scaled dragon hybrid took his place. **_

"_**Sephiroth?" he gasped in utter shock. **_

_**Suddenly, Angeal lost his grip and began to plummet towards the fog below. Sprouting his wings, Sephiroth flew over the edge and grabbed his friend by the wrist, stopping in mid-air. Angeal opened his eyes, the feeling of fall now ceased and now felt like floating. He looked up and saw the creature that had saved. Looking into his eyes, he realized that it was his teammate!**_

"_**Sephiroth... you're a dragon?" he exclaimed. **_

_**He nodded to him, confirming the truth before his eyes. Hearing more Sonic Speeds, he got Angeal on his back by tossing him on and flew back to the cliff. **_

"_**We got more company! We need to get away from here!" Genesis said to his draconic friend. **_

_**Shaking his head no, Sephiroth set Angeal down and flew up to the flock, eyes glaring in determination. Then, his aura started to glow with navy blue light as his eyes glowed sheer sky blue. Curling up into a tight ball, he concentrated his power until he felt it like it was boiling over. His eyes snapping open, he threw himself out and a huge torrent of water barreled through the flock, drowning them. Landing on the ground, he reverted to his normal form, his black coat torn from the wings. Finally, he collapsed, completely spent from using so much power. The last thing before he blacked out was the two captains rushing to his aid.**_

(End Flashback)

"... And that's what happened. We had to wait until he recovered before we finished the mission. Turns out there was hidden reactor in a secret cavern," Angeal finished.

"After Sephiroth explained about his heritage, he said that he was looking for his sister. He said the other dragons said you were dead because some hunters carried you off during a war," Genesis pointed out.

Then, it clicked in her mind! "That's why you were so surprised to see me at the academy. I thought you didn't expect a girl to be there. When you asked about dragons... you were trying to—"she started to say to Sephiroth.

"See if you remembered? Yes, but sadly, it seemed you didn't. That's why I told you about them in that little fairy tale I knew when you were younger, so you would be somewhat ready when you grew up," he finished.

Now it all made to sense to her, but something bugged her. "How come I didn't turn into a dragon when I was younger?" she asked.

"Like all born into the dragon family, you had to wait until you came of age before your draconic traits awakened. At the age of 18, the beast inside you would come to light and your new instincts would kick in," he explained.

"And why does my head hurt every time I'm around you?" she asked.

"It usually means there's another dragon around and the beast inside you... well... kind of calls out to the other in a sense," he replied.

Suddenly, they heard screams outside. What was going on now?


	6. Hunters!

**Ch 5**

What's with the racket outside?

Hunters!

The four rushed outside upon hearing the screams. As they opened the door, several men dressed in black robes aimed crossbows at them. An animalistic growl escaped Sephiroth's lips as he extended his claws, ready to brawl.

"Who are they?" Alexis asked.

"The Order of the Crescent Moon. They're the hunters I told you about that raided our home in the mountains on the Northern Continent. They're responsible for your abduction," Sephiroth hissed, his eyes flashing gold, his dragon ready to be unleashed.

"It seems the female lives. We thought the boss took care of her years ago. That pathetic human family foiled our plans!" one of them growled.

"My family... wait...!" Alexis gasped.

"That's right, you monster... the Mizuiro family is dead because... we killed them for ruining our plans!" the second one smirked.

Now she was mad. Just like Sephiroth said, the dragon side of her wanted out and wanted out NOW! Letting out a scream that soon turned into a half roar, half-scream, scales once again began sprouting over her body, her tail extended outwards and her wings appeared. Her hair was now the same color as her scales and had grown to her mid back.

She shot them an icy death glare. If looks killed, the men would've been six feet under by now. Seeing his sister in her form, Sephiroth joined her and together, they stood ready to fight. They let off killer intent that could be felt all through the training forest. Even the two commanders and the hunters were frightened.

_These men... **WILL DIE! **_Alexis screamed in the mind link.

_Let's show them what happens when they try to mess with our families! _Sephiroth roared.

Aiming their crossbows, they fired mythril made arrows. The two soared into the air while Genesis and Angeal dove out of the way. Acting upon unknown instinct, Alexis manipulated the night's shadows into a snake shape figure. Letting out a screech, she slammed it down, entrapping them in darkness. But, was she finished? Not by a long shot. She called back the dark and shot it towards three more, sending them into the water along with the two already there.

Seeing her idea, Sephiroth, calling upon his power, manipulated the water in the river and wrapped it around them. Nodding to his sister, she once again tapped into her newfound power. The darkness suddenly began to swallow them up and plunge them in the blackness and that's where she held them.

_How am I doing this? _

_You are a shadow dragon. You can control darkness that you see and feel around you. You take after our mother... she too was a shadow dragon while father was a water dragon. _

_Wow..._

Finally, she brought out the corpses of the hunters and slammed them into the ground with a loud THUD. The dragons landed on the ground, and Alexis, reverting back to human form, collapsed onto her butt, completely exhausted.

"No wonder... you feel so tired... every time you change," she said to her brother.

Sephiroth smiled softly and helped her to her feet before embracing her whole-heartedly.

_It's good to have you back... sister. _

Alexis smiled and returned the hug, a single tear running down her cheek. "Thanks... big brother," she whispered.

"What about the others?" Genesis suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Temporarily forgetting the other recruits, they dashed back towards the gate, hoping they didn't arrive too late. At the gates, a siege was going on between the recruits and the hunters with the soldiers clearly winning over the medium sized group of dragon slayers. The four joined the fray, beating back the hunters.

"They're too much! Retreat!" called the leader and the hunters retreated out of the woods and dashed across the plains.

The soldiers cheered as Sephiroth hid amongst the trees again, not ready to be seen to the others just yet. The tired and weary recruits made their way back to their cabins. However, Alexis was the only one awake while the rest slept. Quietly getting dressed, she crept outside, sword strapped to her belt. She came to the open meadow and sat down, staring to the full moon that hung in the starry night sky.

"I know you're there, Seph. You can come out now," she said suddenly, glancing over her shoulder.

Hearing a nearly inaudible thump, Sephiroth, still in his dragon form, came into the moonlight, his scales glistening in the beam of light.

"Beautiful..." she gasped.

Sephiroth smiled before joining his sister.

_You did well tonight for your first transformation _he said.

"Thanks... but at first, I didn't feel like I was in complete control. It was like... something else was in control. Why is that?" she asked.

_... Dragons, when they are of age, may or may not have complete control over their dragon side. It takes time and practice to gain a certain amount of it. If that is not applied... some may let their dragon take full control or... they go crazy and turn into something else. But, I can see that you'll have no problem taking my advice to heart. I thought I saw a little self-control back there during the fight with the hunters at the gate. _

"I don't know if you would call it self-control, but I did feel it... somewhat," she replied, looking down at her hands.

_Don't worry about it. You'll master the dragon in due time. Just practice when you can, ok? _

Alexis nodded, smiling. Sephiroth stood and, stretching his wings, flew away into the night once more. She got up, her gaze following her brother, before heading back inside, getting some well-deserved sleep. The next morning, she smelt breakfast being cooked. She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her hair. Suddenly, she heard Zack bust out laughing.

"Talk about major bed-head, Lex!" he laughed.

"Says you, Zack. You always have bed-hair," she shot back coolly.

The other recruits burst out laughing as the black haired man glared at her. She smirked and hopped out of bed, grabbing her uniform. She ventured to the bathroom first, quickly changing, before getting some breakfast from the kitchenette. Inside, Sephiroth was cooking toast, eggs, bacon and sausage.

"Wow, General! I didn't know you could cook," she gasped.

Zack and Genesis laughed out loud again. "Everyone says that! Lemme guess; you thought he was always locked up in his office, doing paperwork, right?" Genesis snickered.

"Well... yea," Alexis answered hesitantly, causing the two to laugh again.

"Hey, you two! Quit fooling around or you'll be the last to get breakfast," Sephiroth said.

The two stopped laughing as Alexis was already getting breakfast. Taking her first bite on the toast, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, sir," she said.

"Thank you, Miss Mizuiro," Sephiroth replied.

Sitting on her bed, she devoured her breakfast. Day two and she was already ready to get things started. Sephiroth could sense her thoughts and he smirked while eating his share of breakfast.

"Um, sir. Permission to speak?" piped up one recruit nervously.

"Granted. Go ahead, recruit," Sephiroth replied after swallowing.

"D-Do you know who's in the lead, sir?" the recruit asked.

"Before I came in, I, indeed, checked the scores. We're ahead with 140 points," Sephiroth replied, causing his team to cheer.

"Who got the most for our team?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth's gaze traveled to the female on the bed and she immediately knew, for a light pink blush adorned both of her cheeks.

"**WHAT? HER?**" Zack exclaimed.

"Got a problem, soldier?" Sephiroth asked coolly.

Alexis tried her darnest not to snicker, but she was failing nonetheless. Zack shot a jealous glare at her, but she just shrugged.

"I guess I'm just lucky," she said innocently.

"Right. Lucky, my foot. That's because you ran into that creature," Zack muttered, crossing his arms in a pout.

Sephiroth and Alexis both rolled their eyes at his childish antics. As they ate, something suddenly the window and struck Sephiroth's arm, causing a draconic screech of agony to escape him as he collapsed on his knees, clutching his arm.

"**SEPHIROTH!**" Alexis screamed.


	7. Dragon's weakness

**Ch 6**

The hunters are at it again!

Dragons' weakness

Alexis got to him first. Using her sword, she cut the material around the dagger and removed it. What she saw next shocked her; the mythril was somehow slowly, but surely starting to work through his system. His breaths became heavy and desperate as his arm became limp from the numbness.

"I have to get this out—"as she started to take out the dagger, his hand flew up to her wrist, stopping her.

"... J... Jackson... aler... alert him," he weakly said, his eyes pleading.

She nodded before Genesis kneeled next to him. He tore part of his coat and wrapped it around the wound and the dagger. Angeal got on the phone with Jackson.

"It's me. Get over here now. Sephiroth needs you ASAP," he said before hanging up and turning to Sephiroth, who now broke into a slight cold sweat. "Hang in there, buddy. He's on the way," he said, gripping his good hand.

Sephiroth squeezed it tightly as another wave of pain washed over him. "It... hurts!" he gasped out.

"Hold on, Seph. Jackson will be here soon," Genesis said, wiping a cold rag over Sephiroth's face.

"I'll go outside and see where that dagger came from," Zack said, grabbing his sword and heading outside with Cloud.

Five minutes later, Jackson, the muscular Major that Alexis saw last night that towered over even the General, came inside and saw his fallen friend. The others moved out of the way to allow him access.

"H... Hurry," Sephiroth barely managed to say through the agony.

"I gotcha, bud," Jackson said as he easily picked up Sephiroth, bridal style.

"... Alexis... comes too."

Alexis nodded as the trio hurried out of the cabin. She kept glancing at her brother, worry in her eyes, but deeper inside, anger boiled within her dragon side to those who tried to assassinate him.

"So, you're his sista, righ'?" Jackson asked.

"He told you, didn't he?" she replied.

"Yup. First day he came here, he said dat that if he joined up, he'd be able to find his lil' sista. Den, one nigh'... he just transformed out of nowhere. One of his buds got hurt and the next ting I know, he just healed him with NO materia whatsoeva!"

They made it out of the gate and were heading towards the base.

"He told me his story and dat he was born a dragon; that sure surprised me! Eva since, he made it his mission to find ya, no matta what," he added.

"Wow... all those years, looking for me?" she asked in awe.

"Yea, but dere is one weakness dat de dragons 'ave... and it's in his arm."

"Mythril?"

"But it's a special mythril, only made by de huntas. Dey make it so it would affect 'em... even kill 'em, if hit in the right spot."

Alexis glanced at Sephiroth, whose arm was now severely infected and his breaths grew shallow.

"Hang on, brother," she whispered to him.

Getting to the infirmary, he peeked inside to make sure no one was inside before getting inside with Alexis shutting and locking the door behind them. Jackson laid Sephiroth on the nearest bed and slowly removed the makeshift tourniquet around the dagger and wound. His arm was mostly black and purple when they looked at it. Alexis winced at the gruesome sight.

"Hang on, Seph. Time ta get dis ting out," Jackson said.

Gripping the dagger, he quickly yanked it out, earning another draconic screech of agony. Alexis quickly wrapped her arms around him, trying to calm him down. Quickly going to a cabinet, Jackson pulled out a small vial, containing a violet liquid, and a syringe. Drawing half of the liquid into the instrument, he stuck the needle into the General's arm, earning a hiss of pain. After the liquid was injected, Sephiroth finally calmed down and looked to Alexis, who smiled comfortingly at him.

"You alright?" she asked.

Sephiroth could only nod, too worn out from dealing with the agony. She and Jackson sighed in relief.

"You're one tough son of Shiva, aren't ya?" Jackson joked lightly.

Sephiroth smiled wearily, then remembered something. "... The test," he said.

"I told de others ta postpone 'til December, but I could already guess who was gonna win," Jackson replied with a smirk.

"We had the lead until those stupid hunters had to ruin our fun," Alexis said, pretending to pout.

"We'll... get another... chance," Sephiroth replied, drifting between sleep and awake.

"Get some sleep, Seph. You need ta recova," Jackson said, patting his uninjured shoulder lightly.

"We'll keep an eye on things. Don't you worry for a second," she assured, flashing a thumbs up before leaving with Jackson.

Sephiroth nodded and his eyes drifted closed and fell into a peaceful sleep.

(Dream)

"_Sephiroth! **RUN!**" cried a woman with silver hair. _

_Young Sephiroth looked about his burning home, trying to locate the voice of his mother. He heard his baby sister crying somewhere else and rushed to the source. When he finally got outside, there stood a man donned in a black cloak, and in his arms... was his baby sister, crying. _

"_**ALEXIS!**" he screamed, running to her. _

_The man smirked and shot something at him. It nailed him in the leg, bringing him down in an instant. _

"_Only a fledgling. Not even worth my time," said the leader. _

"_What about the baby, sir?" asked his lackey on his left. _

_He looked to the crying baby dragon, a smirk on his lips. "I'm sure the other monsters will find a baby dragon delicious indeed," he sneered. _

_Sephiroth tried to get up, but that thing in his knee was slowly numbing him and was working its way to his other leg. Suddenly, a blast of darkness slammed into the lackey, driving him away. There stood Alexis's and Sephiroth's mother, her dragon form unleashed. She roared something to the leader, obviously a warning to the human. However, the hunter smirked and threw a smoke bomb at the two, blinding them. When the smoke cleared, the hunters were gone and so was Alexis. _

"_No... **ALEXIS!**" Sephiroth screamed, tears streaming down his face. _

(End Dream)

Sephiroth shot up from his sleep, a cold sweat covering his face in a thin sheet. Tears streaking down his face from the horrible, surreal nightmare. He cleaned his face of them, forcing himself to calm down. His sister was back with him and no one would separate them again. He looked to his bandaged shoulder and gently rubbed it. He looked out the window close to him and saw that night had fallen.

Getting up, he made his way down the ShinRa pool, where swimming classes take place. The pool lights were on, which made it perfect for him. Transforming into his dragon form, he dove into the water with a big splash. Quietness settled on his ears as he hovered a few inches near the pool floor.

This is where he was always comfortable. His eyes drifted closed again in contentment and let the water rock him gently. An advantage of being a water dragon was the ability to respire underwater. Then, he sensed his sister's presence and swam to the surface. She wore a black and violet two piece bathing suit and a white towel was hanging over her shoulder.

"You're finally awake. Genesis told me this is a place you would often crash for awhile if work got you down," Alexis said, sitting near the edge.

_Couldn't sleep? _

"Not really, now I know that we have hunters wanting our skins. Mind if I join you?" she asked, letting her towel fall to the ground.

He nodded and she slipped into the warm water. The shallow end was only three feet deep, but the deep end was twelve feet deep. She swam out about half towards the deep end of the pool and there she treaded. Water always calmed her down as well when something was on her mind. She felt Sephiroth's tail brush against her ankle and she nearly squealed. The male dragon surfaced, his eyes shining with amusement.

"Not funny!" she pretended to scold.

_Isn't that what brothers do to their sisters? Tease each other? _

"I thought it was the other way around," she teased.

_In this case, I do the teasing and you're just my victim._

"Oh, I'm so scared. Whatever shall I do?" she mocked, a hand to her heart in feint terror.

Sephiroth smirked and swam up to her. In his eyes, she saw lust and a trace of desire. Alexis smiled softly while wrapping her arms around his neck. Sephiroth used his wings to support them both while snaking his arms around her waist.

"I know we're brother and sister, but... it feels like... fate brought us back together again," she said.

_Alexis, I understand this is new to you. I'll wait if I—_

"No... it's ok," she quickly said.

Sephiroth smiled gently at her before leaning in slowly. They met in the middle, lips locked together in a passionate kiss. This is something Alexis never felt before; his lips were so soft and gentle. She felt her dragon roar in sheer happiness as it slowly appeared. She felt herself fall forward as Sephiroth dragged them both underwater.

They sank to the bottom of the deep end as the kiss continued. They broke apart and they gazed into each other's eyes, violet meeting golden feral ones. Alexis kissed him again, her hands tangled in his flowing silver hair. Sephiroth's hands glided down her back, sending a chill down her spine. She feel her dragon and his bonding together, strengthening the link between them until it came to the point of never leaving each other's side. They broke apart and swam to the surface. Waiting for them... was Genesis, Angeal, and Jackson.

"Had a nice swim, you two?" Genesis smirked.

The two only blushed.

*If you didn't catch in the early chapters, that's where I put in a little of the Vampire Knight concept. (Pureblood vampires mating within the family to keep the bloodline pure)


End file.
